Kinder News

Can you believe there are only about 3 more months of school? Whew that was fast! The

kids have sunk deep, deep into our hearts for good now as we enter the re‐awakening of

spring!

This month our topic of study is on our teeth and The Tooth Fairy! We will [...]]]> March 2012

Kinder News

Can you believe there are only about 3 more months of school? Whew that was fast! The

kids have sunk deep, deep into our hearts for good now as we enter the re‐awakening of

spring!

This month our topic of study is on our teeth and The Tooth Fairy! We will also be doing some

special art lessons.

Our beloved art teacher, Meredith returns this week. Tuesday and Thursday 9:45. This time

our lesson will be on watercolor painting. Watch for results on the bulletin boards!

Did you know Kai’s Mom is a dentist?

Julie Fagundes will be visiting our classroom on Friday, March 16th at 9:15 to share her

knowledge about teeth (and hopefully her insight on The Tooth Fairy). Julie has also offered to

bring some special things from her practice in Medford for each child. Thanks in advance Julie!

Date to be announced…

I am so excited to have just discovered, thanks to Gabriel and his mom Rachael, that the

Ashland Art Center has pottery classes for kids. We have been working on scheduling a field

trip with them. Unfortunately, I am still waiting to hear back on when. I will let you know as

soon as I find out! In the mean time, maybe you would like to check it out!

Cozy Day

To celebrate the last days of winter and the birth of spring we are having a Cozy Day party on

Thursday, March 22nd. Kids can wear their pjs to school and bring a soft toy to snuggle up

with. We will get cozy on this day with lots of books and a fun cooking project. If your child

stays all day please bring a change of clothes for the afternoon.

Please remember that Spring Break is a great time to get your work assistance hours in. We

are looking for parents to deep clean the classroom over the break and prep the garden for

April planting. Please talk to Wendy if you want to help out!!

Also, see Michelle for other school projects.

Teacher in Service Day Friday, March 23rd

Spring Break March 26th‐ April 2nd

Back to School Tuesday, April 3rd

Enjoy your time with your kids and spring!

I hope you had a great time with your lovely families, we sure enjoyed the time with ours, looking out the window with a cup of tea @ 9:30 am, no rush, a pile of books on the coffee table, reading to our children, making breakfast and ending up [...]]]> April 2012-Garden Room News

I hope you had a great time with your lovely families, we sure enjoyed the time with ours, looking out the window with a cup of tea @ 9:30 am, no rush, a pile of books on the coffee table, reading to our children, making breakfast and ending up with brunch and conversation. The funny thing is that we can’t stop thinking about your children. It is as if we were an extended family and I can hardly wait to see them againJ

New Environment and Punctuality:

Spring cleaning has happened while the children were away and upon their return I hope they come a bit earlier than 9 AM so that we may have some time to give them a tour or have a time to discover what is new.

For the remainder of the school year, the door will be closed @ 9:15 for circle time and open by 9:45 when circle will be over. If you absolutely have to drop off in the middle of circle, please say goodbye to your child before opening the door, sing him/her IN and place the lunch box above the hooks on the hall.

Please, do not worry about their shoes.

We appreciate your cooperation to avoid circle interruptions.

Dates to remember:

April 3^rd Back to School

April 22^nd Earth Day!

May        Assistant Hours Due

Gardening:

Water, sun, seeds and time, just what we need in April for our“Garden Room” to turn into a ‘green house’. We are looking forward to the children’s observations on germination. Sprouts to plant and to eat as such can’t go wrong with children and soil J Please send your child with a flower pot dish the size of a dinner plate. We will be making a little inside garden to take home.

Insects, worms, bugs and other invertebrates that might live in our garden:

These will be some of the themes we will be talking about.

Field Trip to North Mountain Park is a possibility.  I will let you know soon. That is all for now!

Our Theme: “Trip-Trapping” through Literature, Storytelling, & Drama

We have been having a fantastic time reading many different versions of the “Three Billy Goats Gruff” tale, comparing & contrasting the story elements, dialogue, & illustrations, which leads quite naturally to the realization that stories can be told in many different ways. [...]]]> April Newsletter: Room 5

Our Theme: “Trip-Trapping” through Literature, Storytelling, & Drama

We have been having a fantastic time reading many different versions of the “Three Billy Goats Gruff” tale, comparing & contrasting the story elements, dialogue, & illustrations, which leads quite naturally to the realization that stories can be told in many different ways. Our class has been exploring the “Three Billy Goats Gruff” through listening & participating in read-alouds & re-telling the tale through puppetry. Each student has been invited to create his or her own set of “Billy Goat Gruff” character puppets, which will remain in our classroom this month, to be used for “trip-trapping” across the charming little bridge in our dramatic play area. We’ve also been exploring literature by reading several books by the same author, sometimes about the same character. It is a joy to spend so much time in our “book nook”, reading stacks of books by the children’s request!

Enriching our theme: Can you help us with any of the following?

• Do you have any troll doll or figures to donate or lend?
• Do you have any “billy goat” or “troll” costume elements to donate or lend? (a wild troll wig, oversize troll slippers, etc?)
• Do you feel inspired to create simple costume elements for our class? (3 sets of goat horns, large, medium, & small, etc?)

Assistance Hours are billed in May…

We have many all-school projects available, as well as our classroom projects, to fulfill these hours. An all-school e-mail will be sent out later this month describing these projects, and Michelle will post a sign-up sheet. Please make sure that your hours are logged into the work assistance binder, as this log will need to be current to accurately bill parents.

Upcoming Work Assistance Opportunities:

v   “Theme-enrichment” projects mentioned above…

v   Steam-clean our carpet, rugs, & the upholstered chair & sofa

v   Help us create a “cooking calendar” so that children can check in daily to see if it is their “cooking day”

v   Please see Cathy if you are interested in preparing theme-related art projects

Parents’ Night Out:

Our next Parents’ Night Out will be on Friday, April 27, 5:30-8:30. We will post our flyer & sign-up sheet on our board later this month.

Reminders:

• SNACKS, SNACKS, SNACKS!!!!! Thank you for bringing in your snack items promptly! This makes for happy snackers!

Thank you for sharing your lovely children with us! Happy Spring

Our Theme: The Human Body

We’ve begun exploring the Human Body, as you may have guessed when you’ve glimpsed the X-Rays posted on our white board, the anatomy posters on our classroom walls & the variety of new shelf activities. We’ll be learning about the basics of our respiratory & circulatory [...]]]> March Newsletter: Room 5

Our Theme: The Human Body

We’ve begun exploring the Human Body, as you may have guessed when you’ve glimpsed the X-Rays posted on our white board, the anatomy posters on our classroom walls & the variety of new shelf activities. We’ll be learning about the basics of our respiratory & circulatory systems, skeletal & muscular structures, internal organs, & the use of our five senses. If you have expertise in any area of physiology and/or health care, we invite you to join our circle-time to present information, loan us materials, or simply give us your fabulous ideas!

Parents’ Night Out:

Our March 2 Parents’ Night Out was canceled, primarily due to lack of sign-ups. Sadly, we heard afterward that several of you had planned to attend. Please sign up for these events as soon as you’re certain you’ll be attending to prevent future cancellations. Thank you! We will be posting the information & sign-up sheets on our bulletin board the week before our next Parents’ Night Out event in April.

Upcoming School Closures: SPRING BREAK

v   Friday, March 23- Monday, April 2

Upcoming Work Assistance Opportunities:

v   Replace our aquarium’s light bulb

v   Help us create a “cooking calendar” so that children can check in daily to see if it is their “cooking day”

v   Help us to create a “dress-up area” in our dramatic play space. I have hooks mounted on wooden bars that can be mounted on the wall to hang clothes from…donations of “dress-up clothes” in good repair are welcomed…other suggestions and assistance are welcomed!

Reminders:

• SNACKS, SNACKS, SNACKS!!!!!

We’ve been experiencing a shortage of snacks lately. We have frequently been missing snack items & have at times had very little snack food to serve altogether, or are missing “the other half” of our snack (we have cream cheese but no bagels, or quesadillas but no cheese, and so on…) making it very challenging to keep these active children well-fed in the morning! Please bring snack items in on the first day of the week that they’re being served. Less perishable items (crackers, pretzels, etc.) can come in even earlier. Thank you!

Thank you for sharing your lovely children with us! Happy Spring!

Our February Focus: Alphabet Fun & Valentine’s Day

We’ll be exploring the alphabet through songs, stories, shelf activities, circle-time activities, & art projects this month. Students will each have a “journal” that they’ll be encouraged to write in daily. This “writing” will typically range from drawing pictures and dictating the accompanying [...]]]> February Newsletter: Room 5

Our February Focus: Alphabet Fun & Valentine’s Day

We’ll be exploring the alphabet through songs, stories, shelf activities, circle-time activities, & art projects this month. Students will each have a “journal” that they’ll be encouraged to write in daily. This “writing” will typically range from drawing pictures and dictating the accompanying words to teachers to write down to forming their own letters and beginning to sound out words. As we celebrate love & friendship by creating Valentine’s Day cards, we will provide more opportunities for writing practice as students address cards to family members and each other. We will also be converting our dramatic play area to a “post office” this month, which will also encourage writing practice as students create, “send”, & receive mail. As we anticipate this being a very popular activity, we welcome donations of materials! (see below)

“Post Office” Donations Requested:

• Writing Paper (of all types & sizes)
• Envelopes
• Stickers (“postage stamps”)
• Note cards
• Post cards
• Stationery
• Other ideas?

Parents’ Night Out:

Based on parent response, we’ve decided to host a monthly Parents’ Night out, to be held on the First Friday of each month, beginning this Friday, February 3.  These events will be “pajama party” style, 6-9 PM, & will include a snack, art projects, stories, games, & lots of fun! We will be posting the information & sign-up sheets on our bulletin board.

Upcoming School Closures:

v   Monday, February 20: Presidents’ Day

Upcoming Work Assistance Opportunities:

v   Completing classroom painting: this job could be tackled in several different ways: one family could tackle it in a day & complete all of their family assistance in one grand effort -OR- two or more families could work together & have a “painting party” (turn up the music, order a pizza, have some fun!) –OR- any family could choose to complete part, but not all, of the painting, choosing specific items from our list to paint, such as cubbies or shelves, or the loft…

v   Please check the table by the door for upcoming art projects to prepare.

v   Do you have any Valentine card ideas you’d like to share & prepare?

Thank you to Ellie’s grandfather for sharing his experiences in Kenya, Africa with our class AND to Aubrie’s mom and grandmother for sharing their rich family history and culture of the Yurok tribe AND to Quinn’s mom who will be sharing their family’s experiences living and teaching in Mexico AND to Natalie’s dad who will be sharing a Chinese New Year celebration with us this Friday! Thank you for enriching our classroom’s appreciation of other cultures!

Reminders:

• If you arrive before 8:30, please bring your child to Lunette in the cooking classroom, rather than to Room 5, where we are busy preparing for a new day.

Thank you for sharing your lovely children with us! Happy Winter!

Ok, I know winter is NOT officially here until the solstice, but oh my goodness we can feel it all the way to our bones…yikes!

We are still a little unprepared as we seem to be running out of mittens and all those little ‘kittens’ have lost theirs too. [...]]]> December 2011 – Garden Room News

Ok, I know winter is NOT officially here until the solstice, but oh my goodness we can feel it all the way to our bones…yikes!

We are still a little unprepared as we seem to be running out of mittens and all those little ‘kittens’ have lost theirs too. Help, please- what you can do?

The children who bring their rain pants are the happiest playing children outside.  Having some snow pants or bibs would also help.

Rain or Snow…bring it on!                                                   

Dates to remember:

December 15 and16 –  Pajama Days. Yay!

December 19–January 2 – Winter Vacation

Tuesday January 3 – First Day of School after Break

La lluvia! The rain:

We are learning about rain (seems like Jack Frost heard about it and he had to ruin our experiment).

So far, our circle has had some interesting inputs about what rain is:

from “angry clouds hitting each other and making rain” to “the water goes up from the lakes in a cloud, gets dark and then comes down with lightening.”

Not bad for preschoolersJ

We will be able to actually make some rain experiments in class and learn the appropriate vocabulary, including some talk about lightening and thunder.

During the next couple of weeks, we hope to make some water collectors and rain gauges. The children will learn how to use them. Please bring in a small empty plastic bottle ( the water bottle kind). We will hope for some rain.

Last week of 2011 @ CW from the 12th to the 16th:

Please sent your children in warm PJ’s for the 15th or 16^th.  Please have a bag of extra clothes just in case they want to change to go outside.

Sharing Family Celebrations: I would like to invite those of you who would like to share a project or food of your seasonal tradition. Please come and enrich our world.  Send me an e-mail with your idea and time to share that works best for you. One day is already taken by Juliet and Amelia’s mom. The next 4 families will take the available spots on the days Monday to Thursday. That is all for now.

Happy Celebrations Everyone!

January 2012–Garden Room News Happy New Year Everyone! I wish you have a most successful year.

I sure am taking this New Year with a lot of enthusiasm and hope for our world. Children make life brighter even when the sunshine (or snow for that matter) is missing.

Fun comes in different ways, especially when you are a preschooler.

Coming back to school after two weeks of family time is an adjustment, so fun may turn into ‘oh-oh’ time to re-learn being together as a class.

This year I was surprised that not many children show a need to do that.

They are more than ready to continue. So are we J

Dates to Remember:

January 16th – Martin Luther King Day No School

Agua-Water

We are looking during this month at the 3 different water stages.

In addition to the stages of rain the children observed a rain experiment. They are also finishing their rain gauges and when they take them home and a rainy day happens to show up they will be ready to measure it.

We are also looking at water from liquid to solid and how it expands as it freezes. They will learn the importance of water in our body and why the earth is called a “blue planet”. I hope to get to snow and snow flakes in the last week so they will also be able to see snow flakes with a powerful lens.

PTC

We do not have a formal time schedule for parent teacher conferences but we are open to meet and ‘check-in’ between 1:30-2:00 PM M-F. It needs to be scheduled in advance. We can discuss various aspects of your child learning experience in the classroom such as, but not limited to: Language-(vocabulary-verbal skills etc), Math, Fine- Gross Motor development and such.

ABC/Sign Language/ Spanish

We are moving along with this fun way of learning. I am adding new Spanish basic words and new signs are included until we are able to learn the Sign Language Alphabet as well.  That is all for now.

We are having fun and it is a great way to begin 2012!

Goblins, the Candy Witch and other scary things that go boo!

So here it is… I am not the best at celebrating this tradition as it is still new to me. However, since this Monday the 31st is The Day and we are in session… I thought it would [...]]]> Halloween

Goblins, the Candy Witch and other scary things that go boo!

So here it is… I am not the best at celebrating this tradition as it is still new to me. However, since this Monday the 31^st is The Day and we are in session… I thought it would be best to celebrate with the children taking a little stroll around our neighborhood wearing their costumes.

This will include 2 or 3 ‘stations’ where the children will stop and get a treat (not the candy type).

I would like 2 parents in need to use some parent hours to join us on this walk. Please talk to me for details and to confirm ASAP.

Children who are not here on Mondays are always welcome to come with their parents. A kind reminder: parents do not get parent hours for this participation.

Costumes?

YES!  Please, on Monday the 31^st.  The rest of this week fun or silly hats or socks would be great J

Halloween Snacks:

You are welcome to bring some for the children to take home. They each will have a bag with their name above their hook.  BOO!

Have fun!

Our January Theme: Kids Around the World

We’re having such fun exploring other cultures through images, books, artifacts, shelf activities, songs, & circle-time activities! We are learning about how kids all over the world eat, play, make music…what kind of clothing they wear, homes they live in. What a great [...]]]> January Newsletter: Room 5

Our January Theme: Kids Around the World

We’re having such fun exploring other cultures through images, books, artifacts, shelf activities, songs, & circle-time activities! We are learning about how kids all over the world eat, play, make music…what kind of clothing they wear, homes they live in. What a great opportunity to celebrate diversity! We welcome your participation in enriching this experience for our classroom by sharing your own multicultural experiences with our students! Perhaps some members of your family are originally from another culture…or perhaps you’ve traveled & experienced other cultures…We welcome you to bring in photos, artifacts, clothing to share…and/or join us for a circle-time (9:15, 10:45, or 11:45) to teach us to count to 10 or sing a song or say “good morning” in another language…or teach us a game or help us to plan a special snack from another culture…We would love to give our students the opportunity to learn from your multicultural experiences!

Parents’ Night Out:

Based on parent response, we’ve decided to host a monthly Parents’ Night out, to be held on the First Friday of each month, beginning in February.  These events will be “pajama party” style, 6-9 PM, & will include a snack, art projects, stories, games, & lots of fun! We will be posting the information & sign-up sheets on our bulletin board.

Upcoming School Closures:

v   Monday, January 16: MLK Day

Upcoming Work Assistance Opportunities:

v   Completing classroom painting: this job could be tackled in several different ways: one family could tackle it in a day & complete all of their family assistance in one grand effort -OR- two or more families could work together & have a “painting party” (turn up the music, order a pizza, have some fun!) –OR- any family could choose to complete part, but not all, of the painting, choosing specific items from our list to paint, such as cubbies or shelves, or the loft…

v   Please check the table by the door for upcoming art projects to prepare.

v   Are there any parents who would be interested in upgrading our dramatic play/kitchen area? I’d love to brainstorm ways to enhance this very popular space with small repairs & additions.

Thank you to all of our parents for doing such a great job providing weather-appropriate clothing for our daily outdoor time!

Lost & Found:

Please check the new centralized “Lost & Found” area next to the front door in the hallway.

Reminders:

• If you arrive before 8:30, please bring your child to Lunette in the cooking classroom, rather than to Room 5, where we are busy preparing for a new day.

Thank you for sharing your lovely children with us! Happy Winter!

After enjoying our first month of getting to know each other & becoming familiar with our classroom materials & routines, we are furthering our community-building as we embark on our first theme: Self & Family. You may have noticed our “self-portrait” artwork beginning to fill our hallway bulletin board, as well [...]]]> October Newsletter: Room 5

After enjoying our first month of getting to know each other & becoming familiar with our classroom materials & routines, we are furthering our community-building as we embark on our first theme: Self & Family. You may have noticed our “self-portrait” artwork beginning to fill our hallway bulletin board, as well as the lovely photograph portraits of each of your children newly posted in our classroom. Wallet-size versions of these portraits will serve as “helper tags” for the children as they take turns performing “jobs” selected daily from our “Job Chart” & will be used to create name tags that will support name recognition as well as serving various practical purposes in the daily routines of our classroom. We have also begun posting “Family Collages” of the family photos that we’ve been sharing during Circle Time. Each child has had, or soon will have, the opportunity to share information about their interests, home, & family, as well as the photos that you have generously provided, with all of their classmates. (Reminder: If you haven’t gotten your “Family Homework” in yet, now is the time!) These photos have been a big hit with the kids as they admire & chat about themselves, their friends, & their families…

Upcoming Events:

Our First Field Trip: Pumpkin Patch at Eagle Mill Farm in Ashland Wednesday, October 26; departure 10:15 AM; (10:30-11:30 fun)

Tuesday/Thursday children may join us if their parents are able to stay with them.

Please see Gina for details: signing up to drive, directions…

Halloween Party: Friday, October 28 9:30-11AM

We will have lots of spooky fun celebrating Halloween in our classroom! Costumes are welcome. Parent helpers are warmly welcomed to join the fun by signing up for:

• Bringing in “Spooky Snacks” (low-sugar, please)
• Creating & helping at a “Mask-Making” station
• Creating & helping at a “Face Painting” station
• Creating & helping at a “Spooky Art” station
• Creating & helping at a “Spooky Games” station
• Reading Spooky Stories in our Book Nook

Your own ideas for creative Halloween fun at these stations are welcomed; Cathy & Gina will also be available to provide ideas.

Tuesday/Thursday children may join us if their parents are able to stay with them.

Sign-Up Sheets will be outside our classroom door.

Classroom Wish List:

Items for Nature Collages & Autumn Artwork

Please bring in: acorns, walnuts, autumn leaves, milkweed pods & other seed pods, “Indian” corn, dried gourds, pine cones, etc…

Reminders:

• Please sign up for snack items & bring these items at the beginning of the week. Thank you!
• Please be sure to sign your child in & out each day.

Thank you for sharing your lovely children with us! Happy Autumn!

November 2011

Thank you to all the parents and family members who helped on the field trips

and at the party in October. We appreciate all your efforts, energy and company.

Progress reports

In the next few days you will be finding a progress report in your child’s cubby.

This is [...]]]> Children’s World Kindergarten News

November 2011

Thank you to all the parents and family members who helped on the field trips

and at the party in October. We appreciate all your efforts, energy and company.

Progress reports

In the next few days you will be finding a progress report in your child’s cubby.

This is to give you an overview of your child’s days and a window into how the

teachers experience their progress. If you have questions about this report please

feel free to set up a time to talk with us for more detail.

Don’t worry, its good news!

Please note: best time to talk with teachers is 12:30-1:30.

(Wendy is at the school and available most days until 3:30.)

Autumn in Lithia Park

Thursday, November 10th (weather permitting) we will be traveling to Lithia

Park by city bus to observe and explore the last of the beautiful autumn colors.

Lithia Park is such a rich environment for our practice and education of honoring

our Earth.

The bus allows school groups to travel for free with the addition of five adults,

including teachers. Please let us know if you would like to join us. A sign up will

be on the bulletin board outside the classroom.

We will be traveling by city bus and will leave at 9:25.

Please dress for fall weather today!

Rainy Days

Speaking of weather, the school is recommending that each child has a warm,

rain and snow proof coat, including hood, and rain shoes. Gloves and hats will

also be necessary as the temperature drops. Now that the rain has started, we

intend to be outside every day for at least 40 minutes. We appreciate your help

with having the proper “gear”. You are welcome to keep these items at school.

Pie Day Party!

We began a new tradition in the Kindergarten a few years ago, in honor of

Thanksgiving, with the sweetest part of the holiday.

A day of Pie! The children will be baking some delicious pies for their parents,

and families and would like to invite you to the classroom on Friday, November

18th to enjoy their diligent work with a pie brunch. The children will be

performing a few songs and taking a moment to speak about what they feel

thankful for. Please join us at 10:30.

All family members are welcome to come. Families are invited to bring their

favorite pie to share.

**If your pie contains nuts please be sure to indicate that for those with allergies.

See sign up if you would like to contribute.

NO SCHOOL:

Friday, November 11th in observance of Veterans Day.

*School will be closed on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, November 24th,

25th and 26th for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Have a great Holiday!

************************************************************

Did you know?…

Our dear friend Coley Glover, the preschool teacher from classroom 6, visits our

circle every Wednesday with her special way of teaching Spanish.

Coley attended the University of California at Riverside as a Regents’ Scholar

and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Spanish, with one year of study at

the University of Madrid, Spain.

We continue Coley’s lessons all week with the kids and are so glad to share our

classroom with such a talented lady!